The Dream Spheres - Elaine Cunningham [61]
"Your… companion seems to have met his match," Elaith observed.
This set Bronwyn off into merry laughter. "You're more right than you know. Those two will be firm friends within the hour. The worse-tempered the horse, the more fond Ebenezer is likely to become of it."
"A risky thing," the elf mused, not without pleasure. "One must be able to trust a mount under any circumstances. Pegasi fly high and are notoriously skittish."
Bronwyn's smile didn't falter, but the warmth drained from her eyes. "No friend of mine falls but I do my best to catch him."
Their gazes locked for a moment, unspoken challenges made, met, and countered. Elaith broke first, instinctively making the small, subtle hand gesture used between elves under such circumstance-a proud but gracious gesture that was part apology, part acknowledgment of a battle averted.
"D'rienne," Bronwyn said softly, speaking the traditional Elvish word of acceptance of potential challenge avoided.
Before the startled elf could respond, she turned and ambled over to her dwarf friend.
Elaith's first thought was chagrin over his unconscious lapse into old patterns. The encounter with the Eagle Riders had apparently affected him more than he knew. Bronwyn's display of knowledge troubled him, though, especially considering the real focus of his journey. Was it possible she knew about the elven gem and was giving him fair warning that they sought the same prize?
If so, some might consider it a gesture worthy of an elven adventurer. Obviously Bronwyn had made a study of the cultures whose artifacts she sought. Elaith observed the woman as she stood at ease, stroking the pegasus and nodding with tongue-in-cheek sympathy over Ebenezer's continued rants.
She did not lack for courage or style. It would be a shame to kill this woman. Elaith raised his wooden cup to her in silent salute-and probable farewell.
* * * * *
The squall had blown itself out by the time Arilyn and Danilo left the Eltorchul manor. The gate swung open of its own accord. The couple hurried out into the street, instinctively skirting the blackened walk with the same cautious respect that prompted cemetery ramblers not to tread upon a grave.
"You actually studied with the Eltorchul mages? How could you stand spending time in that place?" Arilyn demanded.
Her companion shrugged and veered down a side street. "Lord Eltorchul is not so bad. He's very serious about the art of magic and dedicated to teaching it well. Oth was too involved in his research to bother much with the students."
Arilyn nodded absently, scarcely hearing his words. A faint, tingling awareness swept through her. She touched her fingers to the sheathed moonblade and concentrated on the magical warning.
"We're being followed," she said tersely.
Danilo glanced behind them. The sudden downpour had all but emptied the streets, and there was no one on the narrow walkway behind them. Water pooled here and there on the large flagstone paving, enough of it to make dry passage impossible. There were no damp footprints but theirs. The sun was resolutely pushing aside the clouds. It was almost directly overhead, leaving no shadows to hide possible foes. He tilted back his head and scanned the rooftops overhead.
"Nothing that I can see-yet."
Without breaking stride, he reached into his spell bag and quickly cast an enchantment that would reveal magic at work. The blue light of the spell settled upon his spell bag, upon the singing sword he kept as a novelty, and upon Arilyn's moonblade. No other enchantment was at work nearby. No one followed them in a cloak of invisibility.
As the light of his reveal-magic spell faded, the moonblade's warning intensified into glowing blue light.
"We're being followed," Arilyn repeated stubbornly.
She put one hand to the hilt of her sword, ready to fight their as-yet-unseen foe.
The stone near their feet shuddered. Arilyn darted a look behind her as one of the flagstones that paved the street exploded